By Col. Craig Carlson
There are too many unanswered questions about the impact of data centers to make informed decisions currently. People like Josh Shapiro initially saw the money and joyfully supported it until the public rose up to say, “wait a minute.” We don’t know what the second, third and fourth order effects are going to be on our environment, our privacy, our electricity, our communities, and our farmland.
The companies behind this are offering outrageous amounts of money for properties. This indicates they want it real bad and we, the people, will probably get it real bad. Before we take this blind leap into an unknown future we need to reign in our enthusiasm until we get answers to these important questions. Start the serious research now and get a grip on the reality of emotional decisions that could lead to disaster. Maybe I am pessimistic due to experience with government leadership. (Safe and effective…)
Just look at the list of questions provided by the PennState Extention “Data Centers: A Guide to Common Questions.”
https://extension.psu.edu/data-centers-a-guide-to-common-questions
Former Chief of Staff of the US Army, General Gordon Sullivan warned Army Planners that we needed to understand that “We do not know, what we do not know.” That can be very dangerous. Assumptions are not safe.